The combination and utilization of cultural sensitivity and cultural competence in social work practice.
The Afrocentric Perspective
The Afrocentric Perspective is a culturally grounded social work practice-based model that affirms, codifies, and integrates common cultural experiences, values, and interpretations that cut across people of African descent. The Perspective encompasses the intersectionality of race, and other societal factors such as gender, ethnicity, social class, ability status and sexual orientation. Further, the Perspective acknowledges African cultural resiliency as a foundation to help social work practitioners solve pressing social problems that diminish human potential and preclude positive social change. Thus, Afrocentric social work practice as a pedagogy imbedded within the Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work Programs, endeavors to prepare our students to address specific psychological, social, spiritual, and economic problems experienced by people of African descent and to address problems confronted by all people.
The examination of how two or more social constructions of oppression and/or privilege intersect to shape people’s social environment and cumulative lived experiences.
In social work practice this area of assessment and intervention seeks to understand a client’s sense of self, sense of meaning and purpose, in an attempt to offer solutions to better manage life challenges.